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Health Insurance Requirements
For Portland State University international students & their family members

Insurance requirements are for your protection because health care in the U.S. is very expensive. Accidents and illness can happen at any time, and the high cost of one accident or illness could force you to have to abandon your studies and return home if you don't have insurance to pay for the bill.

PSU's international student health insurance consists of three (3) parts.

1. The first part of insurance is referred to as the "Student Health Services" fee. All PSU students taking 4 or more credit hours have this required coverage which provides for the use of Student Health Services, a primary health care clinic located on campus. It is important to note that self-support courses do not count toward registration hours of eligibility, and students registered for fewer than 4 PSU credit hours are not eligible to use Student Health Services.
2. The second part of insurance is referred to as the "Basic Insurance Plan" fee. All PSU students are required to have "Basic Insurance" coverage. Basic Insurance is designed to assist students by paying a portion of benefits, but does not entirely eliminate the expense of a majority of minor illnesses and injuries.
3. The third part of insurance is referred to as the "International Student Extended Health Insurance Plan" fee (hereafter referred to as the "Extended Plan"). The "Extended Plan" is designed to assist students by paying a significant portion of major medical expenses after the "Basic Plan" in 2) above, has paid its portion of the benefits.

All students and their dependents are required to enroll in the "Extended Plan" coverage.

The way the following fees may appear on your student bill will depend upon your registration for the term. Please note, you may not opt out of these fees - they are charged to all PSU students who take 4 or more credits/term.

Special Circumstances that allow students to waive the Extended Plan coverage and fee.

• If you are on a J Visa
  
• if your government or embassy sponsors you and pays for your insurance through a company other than the PSU insurance plan
  
• if you have insurance through your US employer during your internship training period
  
• if you have insurance through your spouse's US employer

For any of the above circumstances, you must provide proof that your coverage meets or exceeds the governmental requirements.

How to apply for a Waiver of the Extended Plan

1. Make sure that your insurance coverage meets or exceeds "Governmental Requirements" listed below.
2. Fill out the Insurance Waiver Request form (please get the form here the form and print it out, or go to EH 101 office to get a form)
3. Please bring a photocopy of your insurance coverage proving that you are covered and the Insurance Waiver Request form to the Office of International Student and Scholars in EH 101 before or at the beginning of the term, by the deadline.
4. The OISSS Insurance Specialist will review your information. If it is approved, she will waive (delete) the Extended Plan fee from your student billing account.
   

Waiver students will be charged for the Extended Plan each term that ANY of the following apply even if you have insurance through a Special Circumstance listed above.
(Please see mandatory coverage dates and deadline dates below)

• if the date your coverage begins or ends is missing
  
• if you fail to submit proof of insurance or subsequent renewals by the term DEADLINE
  
• if your coverage amounts are missing or do not meet the minimum requirements
  
• if your renewal has a lapse in coverage dates (example: if coverage expires on the 23rd, renewal must begin on the 24th)
  
• if your insurance expires during the term, which is any time before the 1st day of the following term - renewals must be submitted in advance so your insurance covers the entire required period (the first day of the current term to the first day of the next term)

It is your responsibility to comply with insurance requirements, just as it is your responsibility to comply with immigration regulations. You will be held responsible each term to satisfy the insurance requirement for yourself and each of your F-2 and J-2 dependents. You need to go to https://banweb.pdx.edu/ each term before the deadline date and check your university bill on-line to make sure that you have been charged for the PSU plan. If you don't see charges for yourself and each of your dependents, you need to contact the International Insurance Specialist immediately.

We recommend strongly that you arrange to have travel insurance for the time periods before and after your PSU insurance coverage is effective: 1) from the date you depart your home country to the 1st day of the term you are admitted to PSU, and 2) from the date you complete your program (NOT the expiration date on your I-20/DS-2019) to the day you return to your home country.